Posts

Gulabrao Maharaj (1881 – 1915) is a famous Hindu saint,
writer and poet. Gulabrao Maharaj Jayanti is the birth anniversary of the saint
and is observed on the Guru Purnima day. Gulabrao Maharaj Jayanti 2018 date is
July 27. Gulabrao Maharaj wrote about 133 books on various subjects,
130 commentaries and about 25,000 stanza in poetry – all this after losing his
eyesight at the age of nine. The blind sage is popularly known as
Pradnyachakshu Madhuradwaitacharya Gulabrao Maharaj. The name Pradnyachakshu
because of his intellectual eyesight.
A saint in the Vedanta school of teaching, he was not bound
by any rules – he openly declared that the path of self realization is not
through rules but through practice. And a person has to do the practice and
should not depend on borrowed knowledge.
The 12th century Sant Dnyneshwar Maharaj was a great
influence on Gulabrao Maharaj. In fact he is believed to have had darshan of
Sant Dnyneshwar.
As per Maharashtra Government website - in the year 1902…

Sant Mama Dandekar Punyatithi is the death anniversary of
Sant Mama Dandekar. It is observed in the Marathi month Ashada. Sant Mama
Dandekar Punyatithi 2018 date is July 25. It is observed on the 14th
day of the waxing phase of moon in Ashada month as per traditional Hindu lunar
calendar followed in Maharashtra.
Sant Mama Dandekar was a great saint in the Bhakti tradition
that flourished in western parts of India
especially in Maharashtra and North Karnataka.
His death anniversary as per Marathi tithi is the Ashada
Shukla Paksha Trayodasi Tithi.
On the same day Sai Baba Utsav begins in Shirdi.

The story of Sri Krishna and Rukmini is found in the
Mahabharata and the Srimad Bhagavad Purana. Sage Narada once revealed that
Rukmini was an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and she was destined to get
married to Sri Krishna in the Treta Yuga.

Rukmini was the daughter of King Bhishmaka of Vidarbha. The
king had five sons and a daughter. Rukmini was the youngest and was noted for
her beauty and piety. Rukmi, the eldest of the brothers, had married granddaughter
of Jarasandha - king of Magadha and enemy of Sri Krishna

Jarasandha,
Rukmi and Shishupala (prince of Chedi) had made an alliance to fight Sri Krishna. When Jarasandha
asked Rukmi to get her sister married to Shishupala, he readily agreed without
consulting Rukmini. He then arranged a namesake Swayamvara in which Sri Krishna
was not invited.

Rukmini had grown up nursing the dream of getting married to
Sri Krishna. She had heard the wonderful stories of Sri Krishna from her father
and Sage Narada.
However, when Rukmini heard abo…

Book titled “The Vedas: An Introduction to Hinduism’s Sacred
Texts provides an exhaustive analysis of Hinduism’s holiest texts. The book is
authored by Roshen Dalal – She has composed a couple books on Hinduism the
famous being ‘Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide.’ Arshia Sattar writes in the Indian Express
Apart from separating the Vedas from each other and
reminding us that the Rig Veda does merit a different kind of attention, Dalal
provides detailed analyses of the content, attitude and spirit of these sacred
books, all four of which are considered the foundational texts of what we today
call Hinduism.
Although the volume under review is called an “Introduction,” it
is far more encyclopedic — it contains a veritable dictionary of Vedic deities,
an entirely useful list of tribes and clans, a catalogue of sacrifices and
rituals, a description of archaeological sites and what we can glean from them,
speculation on how such sites might be related to each other and what they
might tell…

The murtis of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra worshipped
in the temple is made from neem tree. Daru means neem tree in local language. Jagannath
is known as Daru Devata. The neem tree from which Vishwakarma carved the murtis
of the three deities was found floating in the sea.

Floating of Daru in the ocean is also mentioned in the Rig
Veda. Prayers are chanted for taking shelter in the Daru in the ocean.
Symbolically meaning the only hope in the ocean of misery is by taking refuge
in Jagannath.
Jagannath is also referred as Daru Brahma, godhead
manifested in a wooden image.
Pandit Nilakantha Das is of the opinion that in the Vedic
literature of Rig Veda (10-81-4) the word 'wood' (Daru) is used to indicate the
material of which the universe (Jagat) is made of. (source – Orissa Review July
2005)
Jagannath is also referred as Darudevata and Daru Brahma
Purushottam.
The concept of Daru Brahma was made popular through the
Sarala Mahabharata – the Oriya version of the Mahabhara…

It is a story of a Sufi mystic, who was never seen unhappy
his whole life — he was always playful and laughing. He gave this message to
everybody who came to him — not through words, but by example. His happiness
and laughter was infectious. In his last days, when he was about to die, he was
laughing the same way he laughed always.
This was a matter of surprise to all his disciples, and one
of them finally asked him: “Beloved Master, we cannot believe that you can be
happy and laughing even now when you are on your death bed. We are feeling sad
and miserable. We always wanted to ask you many times in your life why you are
never sad. How did you manage to be happy in life? How are you managing it now
as well, at the time of your death?”
The Sufi master replied: “It is simple. If you know how to
remain happy in life, you will not have to worry when you die. When I was a
young man, I used to be a really miserable person. But then I met my enlightened
master.
My master looked to me alway…